Climate change is everyone’s crisis, but climate change knowledge and narratives remain elite, male dominated. Excluding marginalized groups from earth sciences is increasing their exposure to adverse climate impacts, while bottom-up engagement of frontline communities can steer a more just energy transition. This talk will discuss the diversity problem in two countries: the United States, history’s biggest cumulative polluter, and India, now the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. It will propose ways to shape a more democratic and informed pathway to climate action. The speaker honors the legacy of Columbia University alum and India’s civil rights icon, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar (1891–1956), whose birth anniversary is celebrated on this day.

About Deepali Srivastava

Deepali Srivastava is the Editor of the Energy Explained publication at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA. Deepali has been an editor for private sector and nonprofit think tanks focused on sustainability and economic issues for more than a decade. Previously, her clients included PricewaterhouseCoopers, The Conference Board, Engie Impact, and Visa Economic Empowerment Institute. Her own sustainability writings have appeared in publications such as NextCity.org, strategy+business.com, Forbes Asia, and MSNBC.com. Deepali is the convenor of a series of webinars on climate justice, co-sponsored by a number of Columbia University schools and centers, to bring attention to the importance of bottom-up engagement in shaping policies.